When it Rains Oak Leaves
by Kenny Lee Chud
Summary: I had to write my own mystery story for Mysteries and Suspense, and this is the finished product. I wrote this last year, and it was the first story I actually finished. It's about a girl trying to find her best friend and crush, who went missing.


It was a small town. Nothing bad ever happens here. It`s pretty boring, actually. The only thing that really rocked this town is when a boy disappeared. The boy`s name was Craig Meckett. And guess what? He was my best friend.

Craig was a good kid, good looking too. In fact, I was in love with him since I first met him in middle school. Of course, I never told him. He was nice, sweet, kind, caring, funny, and talented. He was always either playing his guitar or sitting at his piano. He has auburn hair, the most perfect facial features, and wore glasses that masked his brown eyes. we were best friends since we first met. When he went missing, I was devastated, along with his parents. I spent more time with them when he went missing than ever. But, he was always running off somewhere every day, but nobody knew where. He always took his guitar with him, though.

I`m going to be narrating this mystery, this tragedy. Me, Lacey, Craig`s best friend. The day he went missing went normally; Craig texted me, we made plans, he wanted to practice his guitar, so I decided to make myself breakfast. That was the last time I heard from him.

He didn't come back from playing his guitar. He was gone for two days. His parents, Andrew and Amy, called me and asked if I saw him. When I said no, they told me to come over to try to help. I started walking to their house. When I got there ten minutes later, I saw a police car outside and the door was open. Muffled voices greeted me and they gradually got louder as I walked through the threshold.

"It's okay, Mrs. Meckett," the police officer said, as he wrote down information on a notepad. "We`ll find your son."

The officer looked at me. "And who are you?"

I walked up to him. "I'm Lacey. That missing boy is my best friend. You better find him Officer," I looked at his name tag "Foreman."

"Don't worry, Lacey. We'll find him. That's our job."

He looked at a man beside him; a tall, too skinny, timid looking man with glasses.

"Have you met my assistant? He's my kid brother, Mikey. Don't let the shy act fool you. He will shoot you in a heartbeat."

Mikey flashed a grin of embarrassment, and laughed a slightly nervous laugh.

"Well, I'm sure we'll find him. He seems like a good kid. We'll run a report, but we need a picture for flyers.

Mr. Meckett had one arm around his sobbing wife, and with the other, he grabbed one of the pictures from the mantle. It was the photo of Craig when he was leaning against an oak tree, a smile on his face. He handed it to Mikey.

"Okay," Officer Foreman said, "We'll have the report a little later, and the flyers will be on every store window and telephone pole."  
>He walked to Mrs. Meckett. "We'll find your son, we promise."<p>

Mrs. Meckett stopped crying and and the police officers walked out the door. There was a silence, then car doors slamming, and finally the car starting and driving down the road until silence rose again. We stood there, silent, hopeful, scared. A voice made me jump. It was Mr. Meckett`s.

"I think we should all sit down and try to be calm. I'm making coffee. Who wants some?'

Amy and I shook our heads.

"Okay, then. I`ll be back."

He left the room.

"Listen," I said, "Don't worry. They'll find him. I love Craig. I like him and I'm just as devastated as you are. All we need is to relax and have hope."

Amy smiled. "He loved you too, sweetie. When he was in his room playing his guitar, he would sing a song about a blue eyed girl he loves. I'm serious."

I smiled. Andrew walked in the room with a cup of coffee. He cleared his throat and said,"We need to figure out what could`ve went down."  
>He grabbed a notebook off the table and pen.<p>

"Lacey, tell me everything that happened that day."

I took out my phone. "I woke up, he texted me good morning like always, we made made plans to meet up like always, he said he wanted to practice his guitar, so he said he`ll call me when he`s done. So, I decided to make myself some food. That was the last I heard of him. You know, he said yesterday was gonna be a special day. He never told me why, though. he said I'd have to wait and see."

As I spoke, Andrew was writing down my every word.  
>"So, what do you think," I asked.<p>

He thought. "I'm not sure. What about you, Amy?"

She smiled. "I think he was gonna ask you out."

"No! Get that idea out of your head! Wait... Write this down. Craig wanted to be alone so he could practice the song Amy said he wrote me! Then he was going to ask me out!"

Amy said,"But, where did he go? Where does Craig run off to with his guitar?"

"I thought you knew," I said slowly.

Both Meckett`s shook their head.

"We thought he was with you," Andrew said.

"No," I shook my head. "When I asked him where he goes, he said 'a peaceful spot where I'm surrounded by things I love.' Apparently it wasn't his room."

"Nope," Andrew said. "Can you think of anywhere else that he loves to go?"

"Hmm... He likes basically everywhere."

There was a knock at the door. Andrew got up, and opened the door. He pushed the door wide enough so Amy and I could see who it is. It was Mrs. Edna Hart, the elderly woman who lived next door to the Mecketts.

"Mrs. Hart!" he welcomed. "Won't you come in?"

"Oh, no thank you, Andrew. My daughter is making Harold and me dinner. I came by to tell you something. I heard about dear Craig, that sweet boy. I hope he comes back soon. I saw him two days ago."

Amy gasped. I grabbed the notebook off the couch and started writing.

Mrs. Hart continued. "I saw him walking down the street, when I was walking with Harold to the store. We said hello and he waved. He had that guitar of him."

I stopped writing. I walked to the doorway. "Mrs. Hart? Could you point to us which way he went?"

"Certainly," she said. "My, look at how beautiful you are! Lacey, you`re just too precious."

"Thanks."

"He went that way." She pointed to the left, "That was the last we saw him. Now, that is all I know, and I must go. I don't want to keep my daughter waiting. Goodbye."

She was gone. I looked to the right. "Okay, he went right which means he was either in the park, pizza place, or store." I wrote this down.

"Well, now we narrowed down all the places he could have been at. But, it's 7:00 and getting late, so maybe we should continue this tomorrow."

Amy stood up. "I agree."

"Me too," I said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Write down anything you find," I said, then left.

I walked home, alone and deep in thought about Craig. The feelings of grief and love came flowing, both from my heart and my eyes. I was crying the whole way home. When I finally arrived home, the whole room was filled with the smell of lasagna.

"Hey, baby," my mother said when I walked into the kitchen. Two plates were already set on the table, along with the lasagna and silverware. "So, how was your day," she asked as she put a piece of the food on my plate.

"Bad. Craig went missing two days ago and I'm missing him like crazy. I'm worried."

"Oh, I'm sorry, baby. I know how much he means to you. You just have to have hope."

"I know."

The rest of dinner was quiet, the only sounds were the forks scraping off the plates. I went upstairs to my room and layed down on my bed. I took out my phone and began to watch the videos I had on there. They all involved Craig. I clicked on one where he was on the swings at the park, acting like an idiot. He was laughing and yelling, "Whee!" I heard myself in the video laugh. He was always having fun, no matter what.

I clicked on another one where him and I were at the park, on the trail. We called it "our spot" because we're the only people that go there. We always sat near a giant oak tree. In the video, we were just sitting near the tree, sharing a bag of gummy bears. He had a flower in his hair, one I picked and put it in there. He kept it.

"Hmm... Maybe he does like me. He wouldn't have kept the flower if he didn't like me."

I smiled at the thought. Then, Craig looked up to the sky and said,"I love this place. It's so peaceful..."

That sent a chill down my spine. "He's at the park," I whispered. "I have to go first thing in the morning."

I rested my head on my pillow. Growing more tired, I decided to look at my pictures. They were all Craig and me and all our memories. I drifted off to sleep, and the last thing I saw was Craig`s face.

There he was, leaning against the oak tree in the park, strumming away at his acoustic guitar, singing his heart out about a blue eyed girl he was in love with. Suddenly, he stops. He hears a rustle in the distance. The next part happened too quickly. A man jumps out of the bushes, he flashed an evil smile as he held Craig at gunpoint. Craig's life flashed before his eyes- his first time riding a bike , his sixteenth birthday, Lacey. His only concern that moment was her . He drew in his last breath and said, "I love you, Lacey." With that, he was gone.

I sat up, crying and screaming. My mother ran in.

"Lacey! Lacey! What`s wrong?"

"He's dead! My dream told me!" I hugged my pillow. "He got shot and...and..." I thought about his last words. "I miss him!"

My mother hugged me as tight as she could, and said,"It was just a bad dream. I want you to go to sleep and not make a peep. Okay?"

I nodded my head. She went out the door. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."  
>And it was quiet for the night.<p>

I woke up and went downstairs. I found my mother in the kitchen.

"Good morning, sweetie. How did you sleep?"

"Good, I guess. I'm still a bit tired."

"Well, I hope you feel better." She handed me a bowl, a box of cereal, and a carton of milk. "I'm sorry I can't make you breakfast. My boss wants me in early today. Actually, I have to go."

She waved to me and left. I made myself the bowl of cereal and started eating it when I got a phone call.

"Hello?"

"Lacey! You have to come here now! We have information about Craig!"

"I'll be there soon!" I hung up and ran upstairs. I got dressed as fast as I can and ran out the door. I got to the Meckett`s house and went inside. I saw Amy sitting on the couch and Andrew pacing around. He noticed me and said,"You have to check the park! Try to find any clues of him. We got a call from someone saying they saw him in the park the day he disappeared. Go to the park and call us if you find anything."

"Okay. I'll do it," I said and ran out the door. I ran to the park. After looking around for a while, and finding no clue for his location, I suddenly remembered the video.  
>"The trail!" I said and started running to the trail.<p>

I ran towards the trail, nervous and anxious. I walked for a while, but then something caught my eye. It was- no, it couldn't be. It looked like...A broken in Converse! It was black and had a peace sign drawn on the toe, it looked just like Craig's. It was near a pile of oak leaves, almost buried in it. I walked to it and began moving the leaves around. When I saw where it came from, my heart stopped and my blood ran cold. I lost my breath and dropped to my knees to cry.

What I found was Craig. His body was lying near his guitar, and on it, a piece of paper. I opened it up and read it. "Lacey, we've been friends for a very long time. we know everything about each other, and we always see each other. Remember when you asked me where I go to play my guitar, and I didn't answer? Well, it's the spot we always go to, our spot. I go here to sing songs I wrote. Remember when you asked me what I write about? Well, um, I write about you. When I said I wanted to practice my guitar before we hang out, I was getting ready to sing you the song I wrote for you. It explains everything. I have the lyrics in my pocket if you want to keep them. Lyrics are like poems, only with music. I also got you a ring. It's not worth much, but hopefully it means something to you. I'm writing this down because I'm too afraid to say it. Ugh... Mike's here. He hates me, not sure why, though. He's acting weird, even for himself. He keeps looking at me. It's kind of creepy. He keeps putting his hand in his coat pocket. I'm not sure what he has in there, but he's starting to scare me. Well, I'm going to go. I love you! No, I'm in love with you.  
>Love, Craig"<p>

Those last words made me cry even more. And now I know my dream was real. But, now I know who shot him, the love of my life. I grabbed his hand and kissed it. Then, I put my head on his chest and cried some more. When I finally stopped, I took out my phone and called Andrew.

"Hello?"

I drew in my breath, and with a shaky voice, I said,"I found Craig."

He got excited. "Really? Where? Is he alright? Amy! Lacey found him!"

"Bring the police. I think I know who shot him. I'm in the park, on the trail." I hung up, and thought about the note. "I also got you a ring. It's not worth much, but hopefully it means something to you."  
>"Sorry, Craig," I said and put my hand in his pocket. I pulled out a green guitar pick and a ring. It was silver with an amethyst gem on it. I looked at Craig, then the ring, then to him again. I put it on, then leaned down and kissed his cheek. "I love you, too," I whispered as I heard footsteps and someone calling my name. I heard Amy screaming and crying. Andrew tried to cover her eyes, but she took his hands off of her eyes. I got up and walked towards Officer Foreman and Mikey. I gave them the note. Officer Foreman held it as he read and Mikey was reading over his shoulder.<p>

"His name is Mike Harris. He hates Craig for some unknown reason."

Mikey looked up and said,"Where can we find him?"

I pointed to the left, where Mike Harris was watching his crime unravel. When he saw the police looking at him, he quickly took out his gun. Everyone froze and stared at the hunk of dangerous metal. Mikey ran towards him, Officer Foreman started screaming and yelled,"Mikey! No!"

Mike ran away, with Mikey and Officer Foreman after him. They were far away when I heard a yell and a thud. I ran towards the sound, in fear that Mikey and Officer Foreman were hurt. My fears vanished when I saw Mikey holding Mike Harris in handcuffs. I saw another police car, and one of the officers was holding a body bag. He looked at me.

"Can you show me where the body is?" he asked me.

"Sure," I said. He followed me to Craig's body. He put his body in the bag. He was about to zip it up when I stopped him. "No! Wait a second!" I went to the body and said,"I love you, Craig." A tear fell down my cheek and I touched his hair one more time. I got up and said,"Okay. Do it."

He zipped up the bag and took it to the car. I walked to Officer Foreman and Mikey. "Thanks," I said.

Officer Foreman said,"Why? You're the one that solved this case. I think you should be on the force."

I laughed. "No, thank you . But, you did help a lot."

I hugged Officer Foreman and Mikey got prepared for his hug. I went towards him and he wrapped his skinny arms around me. "Listen," he whispered. "I'm sorry about Craig, but you're beautiful and will find another. His memory will live on." He kissed my cheek and let go.

"Wait, why did you run towards him if he had a gun?"

"It was empty. He started running because he knew he would be charged with assault if he did anything," Mikey said.

"But how... How did you-"

"Shh. Cop secret." He smiled.

I smiled back and they got in the car and drove away. I walked to the Meckett's and hugged them both.

Amy drew in a breath. "Thank you for everything. You helped us greatly and he'd still be missing if it weren't for you."

I smiled through my tears. "Thank you."

I went home and felt satisfied that the case is over. Now I know how a police officer feels when they solve a case. A few days later, I got a call from Andrew, saying he has stuff Craig wants me to have. I walked to their house and Amy gave me a box of things.

"So, did you pack up Craig's room yet?" I asked.

"No , not yet, but we're going to," Amy told me.

"Is it alright if I go in there one last time?" I asked.

"Sure, go ahead."

I walked up the steps and went down the hall to Craig's room. I walked around for a while, then sat on the bed. "So, this is the last time I'm going to be in this room again." I looked up to the sky and said,"I love you, Craig."

I got up off the bed and left the room. I looked back one last time, then went downstairs to Amy and Andrew. I went up to them and hugged them tightly. Amy kissed me on the head and I took my box, said,"Thank you," and left the house for the last time.

When I got home, I went to my room and sat on the bed. I took a breath and slowly opened the box. They were all my favorite things- His guitar pick necklace, his Paramore hoodie, and other things I love. On the bottom of the box, I saw a piece of paper. It was a song he wrote for me.

"So, this is the song he was going to sing to me. I wish I could hear him sing it."

Then, I found a cd. I put it in my cd player, and when it started, Craig's voice filled the room. I started to cry, and I found a notebook in the box. It had all the pages filled up, with songs about me. I cried more and started to smile. Even though I lost my true love, him and his love will still live on.


End file.
